The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday afternoon (October 29) that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold bilateral talks in Busan, South Korea, the following day (October 30). Although the US had announced the talks earlier last week, China delayed its announcement until the day before the meeting.
According to the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "As agreed by China and the United States, President Xi Jinping will meet with US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea on October 30 local time to exchange views on China-US relations and issues of common concern."
While the White House has clearly stated that the Trump-Xi meeting will be held on Thursday morning, China has yet to announce a specific schedule, including whether the meeting will take place in the morning, afternoon, or evening, revealing almost no details.
When asked about the meeting arrangements at a regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday afternoon, an AFP reporter was met with the usual response from spokesperson Guo Jiakun: "We will release details of the meeting in due course."
However, Guo Jiakun still expressed that China has high expectations for this summit meeting. He pointed out that "head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. At this meeting, the two heads of state will have in-depth communication on strategic and long-term issues concerning China-US relations, as well as major issues of common concern. We are willing to work with the US to promote positive outcomes from this meeting, providing new guidance and injecting new impetus into the stable development of China-US relations."
It is worth mentioning that the South Korean media outlet Dong-A Ilbo reported on Monday (27th) that the meeting between the two sides may be arranged at the Wing Peak Building, a VIP terminal at Busan Gimhae International Airport, but this news has not been officially confirmed.
